Netanyahu's Court Line 'Retirement' for Sentence Reduction Negotiation... "Likely to Shake the Political World" (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Benjamin Netanyahu, the former Prime Minister of Israel who stepped down after 12 years in power, has proposed ‘retirement from politics’ as a condition for a reduced sentence in his corruption trial. This move comes as he faces the loss of immunity due to his loss of power and testimonies from close aides proving his guilt, pushing him to the brink.

On the 16th (local time), US ABC News and others reported, citing sources, that Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, is attempting to reduce his sentence through a ‘plea bargain’ by admitting guilt.

According to sources familiar with the trial, Netanyahu’s side has proposed retirement from politics as a condition for a reduced sentence and is negotiating with the prosecution.

Netanyahu, who leads the opposition Likud Party, has not confirmed the plea bargain efforts, but sources say negotiations are expected to conclude within this week.

Netanyahu was indicted in November 2019 on charges including bribery, breach of trust, and fraud while serving as Prime Minister. Having served once from 1996 to 1999 and then continuously in power for 13 years since 2009, he is suspected of receiving bribes amounting to $264,000 (approximately 300 million KRW) from a famous Hollywood film producer and others during his tenure.

After the indictment, he consistently denied the charges as ‘false accusations’ and ‘fabricated investigations.’ However, after stepping down from the prime ministership in June last year and losing immunity, and with his closest aides testifying to key allegations, he has launched a last-ditch effort by proposing retirement from politics.

One of Netanyahu’s closest aides, Nir Hefetz, testified in court last November that “Netanyahu negotiated with the owner of the local telecom company Bezeq to promote legislation favorable to Bezeq in exchange for Bezeq’s portal site refraining from negative coverage.”

ABC News reported, “Depending on the outcome of the negotiations, which could conclude as early as this week, Netanyahu’s leadership?already challenged within his own Likud Party?and the entire Israeli political landscape could be shaken.”

Netanyahu set the record for the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history, ruling for 12 years and 2 months consecutively. Including his first term from 1996, he has been in power for over 15 years.

Following the Arab Spring, amid Middle Eastern turmoil and threats from Iran, Israel demanded strong leadership rather than peace. Netanyahu’s firm stance against US pressure and aggressive responses to Palestine solidified his support base.

However, fatigue from his long tenure and power struggles led the Likud Party to fail in forming a coalition government despite becoming the largest party in the March general election last year. Meanwhile, parties with differing ideologies united as ‘anti-Netanyahu’ and succeeded in changing the government.

Meanwhile, the government strongly opposes Netanyahu’s current plea bargain attempt, calling it a violation of Israel’s judicial justice.

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz tweeted, “Former Prime Minister Netanyahu has consistently denied the corruption investigation as a witch hunt and claimed the Israeli judiciary is biased. A person who has undermined public trust in the foundations of democracy for personal reasons cannot be a subject of a plea bargain.”

Public opinion is also worsening, with protesters gathering and staging a sit-in in front of the Justice Minister’s residence the previous evening to protest the plea bargain negotiations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.